Until July 31 you can enjoy $5 off on one purchase of $25 or more on any Hygloss Product you choose. After you finish placing your order, just enter the code KCraft$5 in the coupon code field on the shopping cart page, and then take pride in knowing that you are giving your children the best in quality craft materials for all your summer crafts. Don’t forget, this offer is good only until July 31, and is valid only one time per customer.

Holographic Bingo

Still on the game theme this week, we made our own version of an oldie but goodie that is high on our list of the most requested games to play on a hot summer day. Just as you could have predicted, I turned it into an educational summer craft that was both easy and fun to make. And then it became one of our favorite games.

But here’s the twist and the extra special ingredient that makes this game a real treasure. We made it on Hygloss holographic craft paper, both because of the high quality card stock and the dazzling sheen that make it both durable and exciting. Also, the stickers we used really jump off the page, which makes it a real sensory playing experience. Just be careful no one picks up their board in the middle of the game to admire the holographic paper and the seemingly three dimensional stickers. It’s tempting and we’ve had to start a few games over when some of the players got carried away.

Make the bingo boards by cutting squares (approximately 8×8 inches each) out of any color holographic paper you choose. With markers and a ruler, draw grids on the boards to create nine squares. Choose from any Hygloss Sticker Forms (Alex wanted the wild animals and Marni chose the musical instruments), and place a different sticker in each square except the middle one. Put a smiley face or a heart shape in the middle. It’s a free space. Make the game cards by cutting smaller individual cards from the scraps of holographic paper and placing one sticker (that also appears on the board) on each card. Use Hygloss’s colorful counters for the place markers.

To play, place all the game cards in a bag or box (you could make this too). Each person starts off by putting a counter on the smiley face or heart in the middle. Choose a caller who then picks a card from the bag, looks at the picture and names the animal or musical instrument (or whatever your kids have chosen for their boards). Each player checks their board to see if the same sticker is there. If it is, the player puts a counter on the picture. The first person to get three counters in a row, either up, down, or diagonal, shouts “BINGO!” (or as Jenny, my one year old says, “O-O”) and is the winner of that round. To make the game more challenging and funny, instead of naming the animal or musical instrument on the card, the caller should make the sound of whatever appears there.

I can’t wait to make this with my students. It will go beautifully with any learning unit and gives children practice using observation and critical thinking skills, as well as naming items and using them correctly.